Mitt Romney-The Man Who Might Be Our Next President.

October 11, 2012

At times Mitt Romney must wonder why the contents of what would seem to be an incredibly rich resume are so often disparaged by such a significant percentage of the American electorate. Quite frankly, the problem for Mr. Romney may be that it is just too good and provides a portrait of a rather extraordinary man. There is no doubt that Mitt Romney had a head start in life, but it must also be noted that others with similar advantages have not always enjoyed the same type of success.

I recently came across a Vanity Fair (February, 2012 on line edition) article by Michael Kranish and Scott Helman, entitled “The Meaning of Mitt“, which was an adaptation by the authors from their book, “The Real Romney”. Perhaps the most fascinating, yet no longer shocking, point it inadvertently made was how far apart those from the left and the right are in how they view certain personal characteristics and behavior. The reader can draw his own conclusions from the use of the alternate title which shows up on the tab and presents the contents of the same article as, “The Dark Side of Mitt Romney”.

The article portrays a man who has had all the advantages of a conservative upbringing. As the article put it:

So with his wife, Ann, as a partner and his father as an inspiration, Mitt set out to build a family, a career, and a place in the church that he loved.

The Romneys’ Mormon faith, as Mitt and Ann began their life together, formed a deep foundation. It lay under nearly everything—their acts of charity, their marriage, their parenting, their social lives, even their weekly schedules. Their family-centric lifestyle was a choice; Mitt and Ann plainly cherished time at home with their children more than anything. But it was also a duty. Belonging to the Mormon Church meant accepting a code of conduct that placed supreme value on strong families…..

It goes on to say:

From the beginning, Mitt had put Ann on a pedestal and kept her there. “When they were dating,” Tagg said, “he felt like she was way better than him and he was really lucky to have this catch. He really genuinely still feels that way.” What makes his parents’ relationship work, he said, is their distinct characters: Mitt is driven first by reason, while Ann operates more on emotion. “She helps him see there’s stuff beyond the logic; he helps her see that there’s more than just instinct and feeling,” Tagg said. Mitt and Ann’s relationship would grow and change as their family entered the public eye. But she has remained his chief counselor and confidante, the one person who can lead Mitt to a final decision.

The article makes it clear that Mitt Romney is a planner and claims that his successful style of “emotion-free crisis management”. was to become famous in the business world.

“Mitt,” said Kem Gardner, a fellow church official from this period, “just had the capacity to keep all the balls up in the air.” Or, as Tagg put it, “Compared to my dad, everyone’s lazy.”

He’s a man who has a set of core principles which guide his life and his actions, thus making the attempts to paint him as a man without integrity truly reprehensible. This is not to suggest that he is so rigid that he is unable to make adjustment on the periphary, which ironically leads to charges of flip-flopping. Perhaps how he dealt with some Morman Church issues earlier in life as a result of his position at the time within the leadership of the church:

Romney was essentially willing to grant any request he couldn’t see a reason to reject. “Pretty much, he said yes to everything that I would have said yes to, and I’m kind of a liberal Mormon,” Sievers said. “I was pretty impressed.

In a related story regarding his work with the Morman church the authors take Romney to task for standing up for the church’s principles and yet also provide the more relevant information that even when dealing with those who “sinned” in some way he was always personally helpful and understanding.

The balance of the article examines Mr. Romney’s business career which seems to suggest that Mr. Romney’s behavior reflects an adherence to a set of personal standards which remain consistent in every area of his life. As the first debate also seemed to show, there is indeed a man beneath the suit.